72duster72
Well-Known Member
Hi, I figured to ask this question in the hemi swap. What do you think of Cleveland performance to pick up an engine and a transmission versus trying to piece one together? Let me know your thoughts, please.
I did exactly as you have described, I purchased a motor and tranny from Cleveland, then stuffed it all in a 72 Demon. I did a build thread here on FABO. For me it worked out well and was very cost effective. Were I to do it again I would probably lean towards doing it the same way. At the time I did it there were not many options available. There may be more now? I dunno? Purchasing it as a whole saved me a lot of headache and time. Send me a PM if you wish and I can provide more details. PS the project is not for the feint hearted!Hi, I figured to ask this question in the hemi swap. What do you think of Cleveland performance to pick up an engine and a transmission versus trying to piece one together? Let me know your thoughts, please.
I cannot strongly recommend @HemiDenny K frame enough. It is a game changer. Saved me countless hours of both labor and frustration. He is active on this site and if you call his Company the chances are super good he will be the guy answering the phone. He endured countless questions from me with both grace and professionalism. As for the feint of heart comment, I am not an actual car mechanic. I am just a farmer that is handy with a welder. The swap was the ragged edge of my abilities. Both electronically and mechanically. Again not to whine but the industry supporting a Hemi swap has evolved a lot since I did mine. You will still need to fabricate a million of your own parts and provide creative solutions to a myriad of problems. My build thread on here is titled 72 Demon Hemi swap or something like that. I would have to search it to remember what I called it! Hah! The LS guys got it so easy! You gotta earn a Hemi swap!I will be in touch. Any chance you can somehow send me your thread for the new hemi? What do you mean it’s not for the faint of heart. Is it that tough? I’m thinking of saving my money and getting a different K frame to make it a little easier and have a little more room.
The thread is on page 15 of the Hemi swap forum@72duster72 found it
6.1 Hemi into 72 Demon March 18
If I remember right it was the tranny attached that made it more cost effective. The crate motors were cheaper but then you had to buy a tranny and all the associated components. It may be different now? I gotta tell ya, reading this thread is evoking a whole bunch of memories. Some good, some bad! Hah! Please note @72duster72 going back and finding my build thread this morning really highlights the fact that there is a whole bunch of far more elegant and frankly professional swap threads than mine. I did mine myself in my own shop on a very limited budget. As a result my design criteria was often times dictated by what kind of material I had laying around the barn. Typically there was a better solution but I did not have the cash for it so went with what I had! I strongly suggest reading a bunch of the swap threads before you start, it will save you gobs of sweat and tears. There is a bunch of super smart handy guys here on FABO. I am just a knuckle dragging farmer!I checked into Cleveland Performance for pricing and found out buying a crate motor was cheaper with a warranty. You will need to buy the wiring harness separate, If you want A/C it’s an additional charge.
New crate 5.7 Hemi was just over $5000. A new crate 6.4 Hemi is under 6500.
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@72duster72 found it
6.1 Hemi into 72 Demon March 18
Thanks so much good Sir. I don’t know how to do that! I figure it is a win if I can reply to an Email! Hah!Here's a link so he doesn't have to search for it.
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Buying the Hemi and transmission is a deal. The big drawback was cutting up my trans tunnel. It would be too much modifying the car to fit it. I went with the 5spd TKX.If I remember right it was the tranny attached that made it more cost effective.
Straight up fact right there, I had to end up fabricating my own tunnel. By then I was so frustrated I made it a bit larger than needed so that I could get to everything underneath. In retrospect I should have fabricated it a bit smaller!Buying the Hemi and transmission is a deal. The big drawback was cutting up my trans tunnel. It would be too much modifying the car to fit it. I went with the 5spd TKX.
Nice job!Straight up fact right there, I had to end up fabricating my own tunnel. By then I was so frustrated I made it a bit larger than needed so that I could get to everything underneath. In retrospect I should have fabricated it a bit smaller!
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